Atheists of Color - A List

And, since it seemed relevant -- here, also, is a list of organizations of atheists of color, and atheist organizations predominantly focused on/ participated in by people of color.

If you're helping to organize an atheist conference, and you want your conference to be more diverse and more reflective of the makeup of the atheist community? If you're an atheist writer or activist, and you want your quotations/ citations/ blogroll/ etc. to be more diverse and more reflective of the makeup of the atheist community? If you're simply part of the atheist community/ movement, and you want to be more familiar with the work of a wider range of atheists, a range that's more diverse and more reflective of the makeup of the atheist community? Hopefully, this list will help.

A couple of quick notes before the list itself. First, and very importantly: This is a work in progress, and I'll be updating it regularly. So please feel free to make suggestions. If there are people who aren't on this list who you think should be, or people who are on the list but you think shouldn't be (because they're not self-acknowledged atheists, for instance) -- or if there's information on the list that's inaccurate or incomplete -- please let me know, either in the comments, or by emailing me at greta (at) gretachristina (dot) com. And if you yourself are on this list and want me to either remove you or correct/ update your information, please let me know.

(Important note: If you make suggestions of people who should be included in this list, please don't just tell me their name! I need their name, the URL for their blog/ website if they have one, and a SHORT list of credentials: books, blogs, publications they write for, achievements, etc. If you only give me their name, I have to do a bunch of Googling and editing, and it'll take longer to get them in.)

Second: This is not intended to be a list of famous atheists of color throughout history. That would certainly be a useful project -- but it's not this project. This is meant to be a list af atheists of color who are alive and active now.

Third: I do not want to get into an argument here about why we need this list, or how we should just be color blind and ignore race altogether. In a perfect world, maybe we wouldn't need it. We don't live in a perfect world. Among other things, well- meaning people can unconsciously perpetuate racial bias without intending to... and we need to take conscious action to counter this unconscious tendency. If you think the atheist movement doesn't need to make a conscious effort to be more inclusive, then please read these pieces:

And if, after reading those pieces -- not skimming them or reading the titles, but actually reading them -- you still think we don't need to make a conscious effort to be more inclusive of people of color, then please make your arguments ON THOSE POSTS. Not here. Comments here arguing that we don't need this list will be disemvoweled or deleted. This post is for people who will find this list useful and informative, and/or who want to make suggestions about keeping it accurate and up to date.

Finally: Yes, I'm aware of the ironies and potential pitfalls of a white person compiling and publishing this list. Most obviously and most seriously, I know that it's problematic for a white person to be the "gatekeeper" of a list like this. Any time a list like this gets compiled, decisions have to be made about who to include and who not to include... and I get that it's problematic for a white person to be the one making those decisions. If a list like this already existed, compiled by a person of color, I'd just link to it and publicize the hell out it. But I asked a whole bunch of people of all races if they knew of such a list, and nobody did... and the general response was, "Yeah, that'd be useful, someone should really do that, HINT HINT." The general sentiment seemed to be that it would be really, really good for a list like this to exist on the 'Net, and that I should just go ahead and do it already.

So I'm dealing with this potentiall pitfall in two ways. One: When in doubt, I'm erring on the side of inclusion. I did decide against some people whose names had been suggested (mostly bloggers who haven't updated in months, plus some people who don't seem to self-identify as atheist). But for the most part, if I was on the fence about including someone, I went ahead and included them.

Two, and much more importantly: For this post and this post only, I am relinquishing copyright. If you want to copy this list and re-publish it on your own blog or forum or website or whatever -- and you want to add to/ subtract from/ make changes to it as you see fit -- please do so. I'm not only okay with this: I actively encourage it. In fact, if you do so, please tell me about it, and I'll link to your list here.

A note about Neil DeGrasse Tyson: When I was solicitiing suggestions for this list, Neil DeGrasse Tyson's name was brought up several times, by several different people. However, as I understand it, while Tyson calls himself an agnostic and a skeptic, he does not identify as an atheist, and does not want to be associated with the atheist movement. If anyone has current information showing that he does, in fact, identify as an atheist -- and can provide a citation -- I'll happily put him on the list. Until then, I'll respect his right to self-identify as he chooses. (Ditto with Ibn Warraq, who identifies as an agnostic but not an atheist.)

Thank you for reaching out to me and including me in this groundbreaking blog post. The burgeoning atheist of color community truly has nowhere to go but up, and I am very proud to be apart of this movement. I looking forward to future dialogue with you and the many other atheists of color that I encounter.

No offense, but many of these blogs don't seem to be of high enough prominence or quality to warrant being on this list.

The tricky part is that website traffic estimators need either the cooperation of the website-owner or for the website to be hosted at its own domain - so it's not clear one can easily make an evidenced based case on the matter.

But still the current selection of non-white atheist blogs strike me as arbitrary and unsustainable.

No offense, but many of these blogs don't seem to be of high enough prominence or quality to warrant being on this list.

Arguably. But as I said: When in doubt, I'm erring on the side of inclusion. I'd rather make the "mistake" of including someone who some people feel isn't sufficiently prominent, than make the mistake of excluding someone who some people think ought to be included. And part of the point of this list is to help get more recognition to people who deserve it and don't (yet) have it.

However, as I also said: If you don't like my list, I encourage you to make/ publish/maintain one of your own, using your own criteria. If you do so, and send me a link, I'll include it in this post.

Good stuff! Now we just need to see more of these names (and the future additions to the list) on speakers' rosters at meetings and conventions.

Would a similar GLBTQ atheist list be meaningful and worthwhile? I suppose arguably the atheist community doesn't have the same problems with (i.e., levels of) straight privilege that we do male and white privilege. On the upside, if Greta compiled that one she wouldn't have to worry about playing the empowered-group-gatekeeper role.

What a fantastic list! I don't recognize the majority of people on it, but those I do are completely deserving. I look forward to checking out some of the others. Props for doing this, Greta (and props for your contributions to the atheist community, members of this list!).

Please revise this. It is not actually possible to relinquish copyright in all countries. I would not be allowed, for example, to republish this list in Germany. Instead of "relinquishing copyright", please release this post under the WTFPL license or the CC0 license.

The WTFPL was designed for software, but works equally well for creative works or lists. CC0 was specifically designed for this sort of thing.

And then badger me into writing that article I keep meaning to write about the history and philosophy of free licensing.

The URL for Black Nonbelievers of Atlanta has been updated.
Maggie Ardiente's bio has been updated.
Ralph Dumain has been removed from the list, per his request.
Tarksheel Society (India) has been added to the list of organizations.
Caribatheist, the blogger behind No Religon Know Reason, has decided to go public with his name, and is now listed under David Ince, a.k.a. Caribatheist.

TRiG: Can you please tell me (in, say, 100 words or less) what language I would have to use to release this post under the WTFPL license and/or the CC0 license, and how this would differ in any practical sense from relinquish copyright (other than it applying to all countries)? Would I have to do or say anything other than, "I release this post under the WTFPL license and the CC0 license"?

mattheath: I agree - I was one of the people who suggested Ariane. She is still a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association and I've not read anything to suggest that she has recanted her atheism. I think the disclaimer is largely because she was so prominent in the Atheist Bus Campaign that she still gets a lot of media requests about it that should more properly be going to the very capable team at the BHA.

Greta, I think by CCo he means "Creative Commons". You'd probably want the CC-Attribute-ShareAlike license, which means "Share it, and even improve it as you like, but do not remove my name or the license itself."

It’s better than relinquishing copyright (aka “public domain”) because it prevents others from pretending they created the list, and because it’ll work internationally. Also, CC is quickly becoming a big deal as part of a larger culture of knowledge sharing, i.e. it’s used by Wikipedia and recognized by search engines.

"Almost ten years later, David Suzuki, in his book, The Sacred Balance: Rediscovering Our Place in Nature (1997),[6] makes the same urgent plea concerning the environment. Unlike Thomas Berry, however, who is a Catholic theologian, David Suzuki is a secular scientist. What is interesting in Suzuki's case is that he too devotes a chapter to the need for a spiritual dimension to further combat environmental degradation. Like Berry, Suzuki has come to the conclusion that scientific narratives and warnings of environmental decay alone are incapable of generating a change in human behaviour and orientation toward nature. Scientific pronouncements alone do not have the motive power to radically awake us from our autistic slumber in the midst of the earth's demise.[7] In this light, both Suzuki and Berry call for a re-visitation with wisdom traditions that honour spiritual values in nature. "

The following two Indian websites : http://antisuperstition.org/
and
http://www.thoughtnaction.co.in/

belong to an organization called Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti (translated as Superstition eradication committee). ANS is highly respected in western Indian states of Maharashtra and Goa. Dr. Narendra Dabholkar is an atheist who founded the organization.

The first two of these are very similar, and offer maximal freedom. They're essentially the same as releasing your work into the public domain.

The third option, CC-BY-SA 2.0 Generic, is perhaps better known (for example, Wikipedia uses this license for text content and for much, though by no means all, of its image content). It is a copyleft license, meaning that derivative works must be kept under the same license. If you license your list under CC-BY-SA, and someone else takes it and adds to it, you are free to take their additions and add them to your own version. If you license under CC0 or WTFPL, I can take your list and create a copyright derivative work which you can't have back. However, I don't think that's a danger you need to worry about much, so you may as well stick with CC0.

***

And here's a fourth option, inspired by the wording on many images on Wikipedia:

This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Greta Christina. This applies worldwide.
In some countries this may not be legally possible; if so:
Greta Christina grants anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.

***

And that should be two uppercase Cs followed by a zero (0). I don't know why Typepad is turning the zero into a lowercase O.

Trig: I'll look at the assorted licensing things and see which one makes most sense for this situation.

And those presenting objections to David Suzuki: I see your point. But he still, as far as I know, identifies as an atheist -- and when in doubt, I am erring on the side of inclusion rather than exclusion.

Hell yeah for Reginald Finley. He's a smart and interesting and very patient guy and when his show was still going a great advocate for atheism and freethought. He doesn't get nearly as much credit as he deserves.

You really should add Reginald Finley (The Infidel Guy) to the list. He has had a radio show since 1999 and conducts interviews, hosts debates and done a lot for the free thought community. It is truly unfortunate that he has not been able to get financial success with all his talents and dedication.

Its through the Infidel Guy that I moved to being a strong atheist his radioshows are at

This is an excerpt from the Infidel Guy's website "Since 1999, The Infidel Guy show has brought you uninterrupted freethought and science-minded guests such as Michio Kaku, Dan Barker, Ken Miller, Michael Shermer, Asia Carrera, Richard Dawkins, Massimo Pigliucci, James Randi and many others. At our site and on our show we take a truthful and investigative look at religious beliefs, political systems, social issues, economic systems, the paranormal, pseudo-science and scientific claims. We feature freethought news, an arcade, forums, chat room and free freethought downloads as well as paid memberships to all IG"

I'm not sure how "prominent" they have to be, but I certainly think Prabir Ghosh and Sumitra Padmanabhan should be on this list. Prabir, in particular, is very publicly prominent in India. Arguably you should also include Peter Adegoke. Tauriq Moosa may also belong there.

At a higher level of fame, I believe Wole Soyinka is an atheist, though sympathetic to his country's traditional Yoruba religion.

I think this is great post for thinking about diversity: http://neworganizing.com/2011/03/21/diversity-is-inefficient/ Too often groups approach this as a "what can diversity do for us" versus being interested in what people of color actually have to say.

Finally I wonder if you see any connection between atheism's problems with diversity and the fact that atheism seems to place a primacy on a certain type of dispassionate communication style which can be inadequate for talking about lived experiences like race and gender? There is also a ton of writing about the fact that this form of communication is strongly class based as well, though it often presents itself as the "neutral" norm. Off the top of my head I can think of writers like Bonnie Thornton Dill and Iris Chang who've explored this as it relates to deliberative democracy and Dill particularly thinks the testimonial lends itself much more readily to uncovering bias and encouraging inclusion.

Some commenters above have raised questions about Suzuki being appropriate, considering his stated views about "spirituality" etc. I was aware of that, but as far as I'm aware he does not actually believe in God or gods. That makes him technically an atheist. He also has a scientific worldview and has been a science broadcaster for about four decades. I don't think he literally believes in spirits, etc. His views on "spirituality" as I gather are philosophical, and connected to his views on the environment. That said, I know that environmentalism is Suzuki's primary focus, so I would guess that he is not likely to be someone to be called upon to gives talks on atheism.

My Name is Seon Lewis, I was glad to see that I have made you list of atheists of colour under the site The Grenadian Freethought Community. This site will not be up any longer, my new site is now http://spiceislandatheist.blogspot.com/
If you could add this site I will be glad. thanks!

Probably an oversight...but, to toot my own horn, what about me - Benjamin Burchall - cofounder and Executive Director of Black Nonbelievers of Atlanta WITH Mandisa? I'm also forming a alliance of Metro Atlanta freethought groups to give us all greater visibility. I'm around. ;-)

It took me a minute to figure out why you put Dan Barker in that list, but then I realized he is American Indian and then, being 1/8 American Indian myself, I was glad you added him to the list. Thanks for the list. I'm glad to see one.

I have now heard Anu Garg speak, and he should be on the list. His topic was "300,000 Gods and you still can't choose" and it was funny. Deconversion stories from non-Christian backgrounds are especially relevant to increasing diversity.